There are both pros and cons to being a musician who takes a leap into the world of acting. On the plus side, there’s the recognition factor — audiences are already familiar with you and look forward to seeing you unleash your talents in a new art form. Or they at least may be aware that you are also a musician, meaning they know that you are also an entertainer, meaning they think that you may know what you’re doing. Great!

On the negative side, there’s the recognition factor — audiences are already familiar with you, and may assume that you are an unworthy charlatan wandering into an art form in which you and your aural skills do not belong, OR they at least may be aware that you are also a musician, meaning an entrenched set of preconceptions may affect their experience. Not so great!

Here are ten artists who proved their cinematic chops in their onscreen debuts.

Madonna, 'Desperately Seeking Susan' (1985)

Photo: Everett Collection

By 1985, Madonna was not only a chart-topping global force, she was a show-stopping performer, revealing her cinematic potential in the video for “Material Girl,” with its nod to Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” sequence from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, as well as her controversial performance of “Like A Virgin” at the 1984 VMAs, in which a white wedding dress-clad, ‘BOY TOY’ belt-bearing Madge writhed around the stage floor like the future Queen of All Media everyone (primarily she) thought she might become. Compared to all that, the critically acclaimed Desperately Seeking Susan, also starring Rosanna Arquette and Aidan Quinn, was a piece of wedding cake. [GoWatchIt]

Barbra Streisand, 'Funny Girl' (1968)

Photo: Everett Collection

Hello, gorgeous! Of course Barbra Streisand won an Academy Award for Best Actress in her film debut, not because she had performed the role of Fanny Brice in the original Broadway production of Funny Girl, but because she’s Barbra Streisand, and she can do no wrong. [GoWatchIt]

Jennifer Hudson, 'Dreamgirls' (2006)

On American Idol, Jennifer Hudson became a fan favorite, despite failing to make the top six finalists during Idol‘s 2004 season. Hudson fared a bit better in her on-screen debut, taking home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Effie White. (That’s Top One for those of you voting at home.) [GoWatchIt]

Elvis Presley, 'Love Me Tender' (1956)

Hordes of screaming Elvis fans had long wondered what their hero would be like reincarnated as a guitar-wielding resident of the Confederate States of America. Thankfully for them, Hollywood gave them an answer with Love Me Tender, a Civil War-era tale in which Presley (SPOILER ALERT) dies at the end. Fifty Million Elvis fans might not have been wrong, but they had every right to be sad. [GoWatchIt]

Bjork, 'Dancer In The Dark' (2000)

Photo: (c) Miramax/courtesy Everett Collection

Lars Von Trier’s turn of the millennium drama is as beautiful, heartbreaking, and wildly original as the music Bjork has released throughout her career. Voters at Cannes were certainly impressed, awarding Dancer In The Dark the 2000 Palme d’Or. [GoWatchIt]

Sting, 'Quadrophenia' (1979)

Music, yoga, tantric sex… is there anything Stingel can’t do? “Suppose not,” you’ll mutter after viewing Franc Roddam’s 1979 film based on the 1973 The Who LP. Early Police single “Roxanne” was already a smash when this cult classic, which features Sting as the leader of the sharp-suited, Vespa-scooting Mods, was released. [GoWatchIt]

Tupac Shakur, 'Juice' (1992)

Photo: Paramount/courtesy Everett Collection

Tupac Shakur‘s undeniable screen presence is on display in this Ernest Dickerson-directed exploration of crime and gang violence in Harlem, which also features a frankly stacked supporting cast that includes Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah, and co-star Omar Epps. [GoWatchIt]

Phil Collins, 'Buster' (1988)

After fifteen years of prog-rock prosperity with Genesis, as well as seven years of solo success, Phil Collins took the logical next step: starring in a period comic caper inspired by 1960s Britain’s notorious Great Train Robbery. Following mixed reviews, and mild criticism that Buster glorified crime, Collins returned to his day job as a super-rich, super-famous, superstar musician. Poor guy. [GoWatchIt]